Monday, March 31, 2014

Do you hate
organized religion like I do? I know, this is really strange to hear
from an ordained minister. But, truth be told, I despise organized
religion. On the other hand, I love the liturgy and the personal walk
with Jesus. We will come back to that. I remember being struck by
church lady syndrome at this time. You know what I mean, the "I am
holier than thou" behavior, until the service was concluded and they
all race either downstairs to get in line for the best donuts and shove
other people aside and then sit with only certain people and speak
poorly about others, or they race outside to get into their cars and
start to cut each other off so they can get home fifteen seconds faster.
I couldn’t help but think that they must not have been paying attention
to John 13:34, when Jesus told the disciples "A new commandment I give
to you, that you love one another." I never quite saw that as loving.
But, what do I know?

The church is filled with sinners. As Jesus said in Mark 2:17; "I've
come to call sinners, not people who think they have God's approval." In
fact, every one of us, myself included, is a sinner. The most
frequently used Greek word used by Jesus to express sin is Hamartia.
Hamartia means to miss the mark. We are always missing what Jesus wants
from us. Yet, he still loves us and wants us to come to him. There is
nothing you can do that Jesus won’t forgive you for as long as you ask
him for forgiveness. Jesus tells us in John 12:47, “I did not come to
judge the world, but to save the world."

I know, nobody likes Jesus’ fan club. They have earned the disdain. Many
of them in their current state of sinfulness, is incapable of loving in
the way that Jesus wants us to love. But, the most important of the
church’s is our own home. God, from the beginning, has always wanted us
to worship Him first with our family. As Moses taught us in Deuteronomy
11:18,19; "Remember these commandments…teach them to your children.”
Home and family is the first place we learn of love. Home is our safe
haven, though, because many have turned from God and embraced
selfishness, they have destroyed their safety. They have destroyed their
homes.

Building a home is a daily operation. We build our homes through love,
respect, and thanksgiving. We build our homes by loving our Creator,
loving our spouse, and loving our children. We build our homes by
respecting the hard work our spouse does for us. Whether, that is
getting up in the morning, getting the kids ready for school, getting
our meals prepared, cleaning the house, good grades, cleaning their
bedrooms or going to work. We must respect the activities that our loved
ones do for the sustaining of our lives and our home. Finally, we build
our homes by expressing our appreciation to our family members for the
activities they have performed and by expressing our appreciation to God
for providing this family with life, employment, food, and health. You
do not need to go to church to be a church. A church is a community. The
first and most important community of any society, is our family.

If you have fallen away from or have never known Jesus, then start by
saying a prayer in the morning together as a family. There is no right
or wrong way to pray. Just speak what is in your heart and express it to
God. If you need some ideas, here are a few ideas. "Dear God, thank
you for giving us life together. Thank you for giving us employment.
Thank you for giving us our children. Please watch over my family while
they are out in the world today. Keep them safe from harm. In Jesus’
name I pray, Amen." Then, at meals, say a prayer, thanking God for
provding meals to you." Dear God, thank you for providing us with this
wonderful meal that my wife made for us tonight or that somebody else
made for us. Thank you for providing us the funds to be able to pay for
this. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen." At night, say a prayer together
before bed. "Dear God, thank you for a wonderful day. Thank you for
allowing us to be together tonight. Watch over us tonight and keep us
from harm so we can be together again in the morning. In Jesus’ name, I
pray. Amen.” You can begin to add to this over time by studying the
Bible together as a family. Do one section a night before bed for story
time. You can find wonderful books for children of all ages. As head of
the household, begin reading the Holy Bible before you go to bed. Begin
with one section per night. You can complete the whole Bible in three
years by that practice.

The liturgy is so beautiful and comforting. You can learn so much from
organized religion. You can sit with bishops, priests, deacons, and
friars, and monks to learn about having a personal and intimate walk
with God. I hope that some day you can find comfort in that at a church.
When I left the church, I did not come back for 20 years. I studied
other religions all over the world seeking to find a true relationship
with our Creator. I found that only in Christ. So, if you are having
trouble with organized religion. That is great. God wants you to seek.
As Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:7; "Seek and you will find." Just keep
an open mind and Jesus will reveal himself to you over time just as he
did to me.